Jude Bellingham will serve a lighter sentence courtesy of his controversial goal celebration against Slovakia in the Round of 16! Bellingham would go on to rescue England from the skin of their teeth amidst a Slovakia scare.
The Three Lions would be down and out for most of the game. Ivan Schranz gave Slovakia the lead in the 27th minute. Slovakia would simply dominate England in the first 45. It would seem that England were on their way out of the competition. Meanwhile, Slovakia were edging closer to cause a massive upset.
However, England looked a bit better in the second half. Many thought that Phil Foden had equalized from a tap in courtesy of Kieran Trippier. Although, only to find out that the Manchester City man was offside and the goal was ruled out.
England won a throw-in in an attacking area in the dying stages of the 90. Kyle Walker threw the ball in a dangerous area. Jude Bellingham would improvise and score a stunning overhead to put England on level terms in the added time. Subsequently, the Three Lions would force extra time. Eventually, former Tottenham Hotspur man Harry Kane would go on to clinch the game. Bellingham and Kane would save the day for the Three Lions!
However, Bellingham’s goal celebration would lead to controversy. The 21-year old will be serving a suspended one match ban. Meanwhile, Merih Demiral would also indulge in a similar situation after his goal celebration against Austria.
Jude Bellingham in for England; Demiral out for Turkey: What caused the controversy?
Although, Bellingham would later clarify that he meant it as an inside joke for his friends who were seating in the similar area. However, the 21-year old will be enduring a punishment as UEFA finds him guilty of “violating the basic rules of decent conduct”.
Bellingham’s suspension is valid for one year and he will be paying a fine of €30k. England fans can rejoice with the fact that Jude Bellingham will be available in the vital quarter final game against Switzerland.
Nonetheless, Merih Demiral would face rather severe consequences due to his goal celebration against Austria. Demiral would score a match winning brace for Turkiye, placing them in the quarter finals against the Netherlands. The defender would make a “political salute” after scoring his goal which was seen as an acknowledgment to the Turkish political group Grey Wolves.
UEFA have decided to ban Demiral for upcoming 2 games for “using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature”. A massive blow for Turkiye as the defender will be missing the crucial quarter final game against the Oranje.
England failing to shine at EUROs!
Gareth Southgate’s men have been thoroughly unconvincing since the inception of this year’s tournament. England would enter the competition as one of the favorites to go all the way. Especially, since their exploits in the finals at the previous EUROs.
However, so far, it has been going rather downhill for Southgate and his men. England would scrap off a hard fought win against Serbia in their opening game courtesy of Jude Bellingham. The 21-year old would score the only goal of the game to clinch the 3 points for his side.
Thereafter, England would face Denmark. Harry Kane would open his account in this edition of EUROs but the Three Lions were held to a 1-1 draw. They would face Slovenia in their final group stage game. Although, they would fail to score altogether as the game ended in a goalless draw.
They would clash against Slovakia in the RO16. Despite being extremely strong on paper, they would play like underdogs. The lack of creativity was crystal clear despite the star-studded lineup. Although, England would manage to win the game in extra time.
Southgate will be hoping to bring out the best from England as they face Switzerland challenge ahead in the quarter final.
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